Erza Scarlet vs. Jellal Fernandes

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Next:	Natsu Dragneel vs. Jellal Fernandes
Erza Scarlet vs. Jellal Fernandes
Arc:	Tower of Heaven arc
Place:	Tower of Heaven
Outcome:	Erza Scarlet is knocked unconscious by Natsu. Natsu Dragneel takes over the fight.
Combatants
Erza Scarlet
Jellal Fernandes
Powers and Abilities
Erza Scarlet Requip: The Knight Sword Magic Swordsmanship
Jellal Fernandes Darkness Magic Bind Snake
Damage Sustained/Casualties
Erza Scarlet is moderately injured.
Jellal Fernandes is uninjured.

Erza Scarlet vs. Jellal Fernandes is a fight fought between S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet and Dark Mage, Jellal Fernandes.

Prologue

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Erza defeats Ikaruga

Erza defeats Ikaruga in their battle but suffers a few injuries along the way. Ikaruga tells her that she has never been beaten before her loss in their battle, and warns her that in fifteen minutes the shining light of justice, Etherion, will plummet down from the sky and bring all of their deaths. Erza orders Shô to take Simon and the others and get as far away from the tower as possible. Shô tries to argue, but Erza convinces him to do so. He asks Erza what she plans to do from there on out, and she replies that she will be the one to finish Jellal.

Meanwhile, Simon carries Natsu Dragneel on his back after the Dragon Slayer's earlier fall to Fukuro. Natsu awakens and remembers being on some kind of weird vehicle, causing him to get motion sick. Simon informs him that he was eaten by Fukuro and that Gray was the one who saved him, with Happy then taking him out of the Tower of Heaven. Natsu freaks out about his loss to Fukuro and Gray's triumph whilst Simon clarifies that he didn't exactly lose, he just got eaten. Natsu doesn't seem to hear this and exclaims that Gray will be teasing him for a whole month over that. As impulsive as ever, Natsu almost runs off to battle Fukuro again, apparently with one hand tied behind his back because "it would be no good without a handicap", when Simon grabs him by the scarf and tells him this isn't the time for that. Simon informs him that he just received a transmission from Wally and Millianna, stating that they found Lucy and Juvia collapsed with one of the Trinity Raven, Vidaldus Taka. Simon adds that he told Wally and Millianna to escort the two unconscious girls out of the tower and that Trinity Raven is defeated. Only Jellal is left and Erza is heading for him so she can deal with him alone. Simon asks Natsu to assist Erza because Jellal is too powerful, but Natsu replies that he doesn't want to, much to Simon's surprise.

File:Episode 38 - Erza arrives in Jellal's room.jpg

Erza arrives in Jellal's room

Erza reaches Jellal in his room, the man seated in his throne playing with the chess pieces on his Heaven's Game board and muttering about how the game will be over already. Erza asks Jellal if it's fun playing with people's lives and he replies that of course it is, since life and death are the basis of all things and they intensify every emotion. He greets Erza and states that it has been a while, asking her why she hasn't fled the tower yet; she replies that it is to set her old friends free. Jellal states that he has no more use for them now that the tower is complete. Jellal's nonchalance about the firing of Etherion makes Erza inquire as to whether he is bluffing, but he responds that the Magic Council will indeed fire Etherion. Erza exclaims that if she can keep him there for ten minutes, then Etherion will fire and all of this will end. Jellal retorts that she will die as a sacrifice to "Zeref"; it is a pure fact and it is her destiny.

Meanwhile, on the way to Jellal's throne room, Natsu and Simon start arguing. Natsu states that Erza needs to defeat her own opponent and doesn't want to interfere, though Simon then reveals that Erza can't beat Jellal. Natsu accuses Simon of bringing Erza down, however, he explains that Erza is still trying to save Jellal and that the man is clever and will take advantage of her emotions. He also tells Natsu about the plan of the Magic Council to fire Etherion upon the Tower of Heaven and that it'll occur in ten minutes. Simon adds that Erza headed to face Jellal alone after getting everyone to evacuate, display his concern that Erza may be planning to use Etherion to kill herself along with Jellal. Given this information, Natsu reaches his boiling point and heads off to look for Erza.

Battle

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Erza negates Jellal's attack

Jellal mentions that there are seven minutes left until Etherion fires and they should enjoy those seven minutes. Erza replies that there is nothing to fear, for even if Etherion falls upon her, she will be glad to take Jellal down with her. Jellal then assaults her with ghost-like tendrils from his Darkness Magic; Erza slashes them with her sword but is hit by a light Jellal casts. She bursts through the walls of the room and almost plummets down from the tower, but utilizes the falling rocks as a medium to spring back in. Erza swings her sword at Jellal, yelling at him for smashing up the tower that her friends, and she, spent so long building. Jellal dodges Erza's sword with ease and calmly explains to her that it's just a pillar or two, nothing more than decorations. Erza retorts that her old friends spent eight long and hard years building those "decorations". A light appears on Jellal's palm as he replies that what's important is the R-System, moreover the fact that it is finally complete. He throws this light at Erza and it transforms once more into ghost-like tendrils that start to envelop her.

While trapped in Jellal's Darkness Magic, Erza remembers her friends and allies in Fairy Tail who swore to help her and never leave her: Natsu, Gray, Happy and Lucy. She also recalls her old friends from when she was a slave: Wally, Simon, Shô, Millianna and Grandpa Rob. Their smiling faces and inspiring words snap Erza back to reality, and she smiles with her confidence renewed.

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Erza subdues Jellal

Erza slashes through the dark tendrils with her blades, and swiftly approaches Jellal and slashes him as well. He is surprised, and questions if she really is the same Erza he knew. Erza pins him down on the ground, preparing to kill him, and asks him what he really is after here, stating that the R-System isn't complete and she does not understand his motives. Claiming she has done her research over the past eight years, Erza states that whilst Jellal has the tower constructed in perfect accordance with the blueprints, he lacks one basic thing: Magic. To activate a Magical Spell of that scale, two billion, seven hundred million Edeas of sheer Magic Power is required, something that can not be achieved even if all of the Mages in a continent are gathered together. She imparts that it is utterly impossible for a single human being to be able to accumulate all that Magic Power and store it in the tower, adding that he knows full well of the Magic Council's plan to fire Etherion yet he does not seem to be making any moves to run. Once more, she asks him what he really is planning.

File:Jellal and Erza hugging.jpg

Jellal and Erza hugging

Jellal merely replies that there are only three minutes until Etherion fires. This makes Erza angry and she cries out that his dream has been over since a long time ago. She questions if he really wants his life to end right there, and if he does, that they'll die together and she'll hold him down until his final moments. Jellal mutters that that doesn't seem so bad, which surprises Erza. He reveals that his body is possessed by the ghost of "Zeref" and he is merely a doll used to bring about "Zeref's" resurrection. In the end, neither he nor his friends could save him. Jellal appends that both "paradise" and "freedom" were nowhere to be found, and that it was all over before it had even begun. He couldn't complete the R-System, yet "Zeref" wouldn't let him stop. He tells Erza that she wins and pleads for her to kill him, because that's what she came there for after all. Erza does not kill him with her sword, rather drops it and states that it's over for both of them. Clambering off of Jellal and sitting beside him, Erza notes that he must have been another sacrifice for Zeref as well. He replies that that is punishment for his sin of giving in to his weakness and that his heart couldn't keep up with the gigantic gap between dreams and reality. She proclaims that burying your weaknesses and the things you lock away are what friends are for; she has to atone for her sin as well of not being able to save Jellal. Jellal tells her that she's wrong because she did save him, and the two embrace.

Etherion's blast

Overhead, Etherion is fired and a bright light shines down on the whole tower. However, after the blast clears, everyone in the tower remains conscious and alive. As Erza looks around and questions what occurred, Jellal smirks and laughs. The outer walls of the tower crumble to reveal a large structure of crystal Lacrima. Jellal declares that this pillar of Lacrima is the true form of the tower and Etherion's blast provided the tower with the required 2.7 billion Edeas, which the Lacrima absorbed. Due to Etherion's blast, the R-System is finally complete.

Jellal after Siegrain's return

Erza looks at Jellal in defiance for deceiving her, when suddenly, from behind her, Siegrain of the Magic Council appears and tells her that she was very cute in their "last moments" together. He states that Jellal was unable to use his full store of Magic Power, and it was truly troubling to have to resort to fooling her to pass the time needed for Etherion to fire. Siegrain tells her to look back to when they first met; it was when she and Makarov came to present a written apology to the Magic Council and she mistook Siegrain for Jellal and attacked him. Siegrain calmed her down when he told her they were twins yet she never lost hostility towards him. Erza exclaims that it's because Siegrain is Jellal's older brother yet he didn't try to stop what he was doing, and worse, Siegrain spied on her for Jellal. Siegrain acknowledges that he made a mistake there and should have said something like, "I will find Jellal and kill him without fail". His greatest miscalculation was meeting Erza at all after he managed to have a spot on the Council, as making up an excuse on the spot wasn't easy. When Erza says that the two of them must be in this together, Siegrain tells her that she's still not getting it. Jellal states that the two of them are one and the same, and Siegrain then fades out and seems to fuse back in together with Jellal. This shocks Erza as she realizes that Siegrain was only a Thought Projection made by Jellal. With an evil look on his face, Jellal tells her that he hopes she enjoyed her fleeting freedom, for all of this is part of his plan to resurrect the black wizard: "Zeref". She angrily asks him how many people he intends to delude, but Jellal only says that with Siegrain's return, his full Magic Power has returned to him.

Jellal casting his Bind Snake spell on Erza

Before she can react, Erza is blown away by a quick attack from Jellal. He asks her where all her bluster from before has gone and if she has already used it all up in her battle against Ikaruga. Erza respinds by Requipping a large sword and approaching Jellal, her blade in hand. She repeatedly slashes at him, but he seems to be able to dodge each attack, so she Requips a second large sword and attacks Jellal with both weapons repeatedly, which he just evades. Jellal tells her that right now, the Council is completely paralyzed, thanks to Ultear Milkovich. He adds that Ultear said that if everyone in paradise is of one mind, then she will no longer fear death, continuing that he is grateful for the blessing of stupid women. Erza cautions that he'll get what's coming to him from the curses of all those he manipulated. Suddenly, snake tattoos slither around Erza's body as Jellal reveals to have used a Bind Snake spell on her, claiming to have placed it on her when Erza hugged him earlier. The Bind Snake traps Erza as it tightens around her and she becomes unable to move. Jellal informs her that he already has the Magic needed by the R-System and now that he has Erza as the sacrifice, "Zeref" can be revived. He adds that he has no more time to play with her and that he will fuse all of the Magic he has collected into her body so she can be used to reconstitute Zeref's new body.

Natsu holding Erza

Jellal pushes Erza in the Lacrima and it begins to absorb her. As Erza is slowly being taken by the Lacrima, Jellal tells her that he loved her, and then shouts to the "Great Zeref" that he is offering this woman's body as his sacrifice. Erza continuously shouts Jellal's name in anger when all of a sudden, someone grabs her hand and pulls her out of the absorbent Lacrima. It is Natsu, who's come to save her from being Zeref's sacrifice. Natsu blurts that Erza belongs in Fairy Tail and he won't hand her over to Jellal, also asking Erza what she's doing; they still have to get back and do some jobs, otherwise they won't be able to pay Lucy's rent. Erza tells Natsu that she can't move and Natsu takes advantage of this and tickles her. Later, Erza tells him to get away from the tower because Jellal is too powerful and can't be beaten, but Natsu claims that he doesn't get Erza at all and punches her in the gut, knocking her unconscious. He then takes over Erza's fight and faces Jellal.

Aftermath

Natsu states that he's never seen Erza cry and be depressed, and that she should be strong, mean and scary; he hopes that when she wakes up from this nightmare, she'll be the Erza he knew. Setting his fists aflame, Natsu begins his battle with Jellal.